The Watchers

The Rise of America's Surveillance State

By: Shane Harris

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Our surveillance state was born in the brain of Admiral John Poindexter in 1983. Poindexter, President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, realized that the United States might have prevented the terrorist massacre of 241 Marines in Beirut if only intelligence agencies had been able to analyze in real time data they had on the attackers. Poindexter poured government know-how and funds into his dream - a system that would sift reams of data for signs of terrorist activity. Decades later, that elusive dream still captivates Washington.

After the 2001 attacks, Poindexter returned to government with a controversial program, called Total Information Awareness, to detect the next attack. Today it is a secretly funded operation that can gather personal information on every American and millions of others worldwide. But Poindexter's dream has also become America's nightmare. Despite billions of dollars spent on this digital quest since the Reagan era, we still can't discern future threats in the vast data cloud that surrounds us all. But the government can now spy on its citizens with an ease that was impossible - and illegal - just a few years ago.

Drawing on unprecedented access to the people who pioneered this high-tech spycraft, Shane Harris shows how it has shifted from the province of right-wing technocrats to a cornerstone of the Obama administration's war on terror. Harris puts us behind the scenes and in front of the screens where 21st-century spycraft was born. We witness Poindexter quietly working from the private sector to get government to buy in to his programs in the early '90s. We see an Army major agonize as he carries out an order to delete the vast database he's gathered on possible terror cells - and on thousands of innocent Americans - months before 9/11. We follow General Mike Hayden as he persuades the Bush administration to secretly monitor Americans based on a flawed interpretation of the law.

©2010 Shane Harris (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An absorbing look at modern spying technology and how it impacts average Americans." ( Booklist)

" The Watchers reads like a thriller, and the story is sadly on the mark in describing our limited oversight of the government's surveillance powers. The nation needs to do better, and Harris' book is rich background to that task." (Gregory F. Treverton, Director, Center for Global Risk and Security, RAND Corporation)

Fascinating history of signals intell since 80's

A must read about the mass gathering of information and then trying to work out what it all means - Fascinating.

Didn't Expect That

I love it when background reading persuades me to see things in a new light. Bravo! To illustrate John Poindexter's humanity is quite an accomplishment. The character of him as the consummate warrior falling on the sword for his commander is officially replaced in my mind.

Important context for privacy debate

Shane Harris does such a good job of explaining the rationale behind the creation of the modern US surveillance state and the motivations of the people who created it that in the end I felt it was lacking compelling arguments against such domestic spying. Despite that, the book does chronicle the rapid erosion of protections for US persons in the face of comprehensive government eavesdropping. I heartily recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of privacy and surveillance issues.

The truth

After meeting some of the key people in this book and reading their books that connect to this subject, one can discern their biases and blind spots. This book shows good balance and unravels the information 'hairballs" that often confuse the key issues. Excellent in all respects.

Emetic agent of a book

Read if you’ve accidentally swallowed poison. I look forward to the next book in this series: glorifying nefarious and disgraced political characters, published by Alternate Reality Press called “Honest Bill Clinton the Faithful Husband”.